


touch

by heejins



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Fluff, M/M, pining jeno, this is just one big fluffy drabble, this isnt edited lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-06
Updated: 2018-06-06
Packaged: 2019-05-19 00:46:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,152
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14863461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heejins/pseuds/heejins
Summary: jeno begins to notice how his best friend's clingier than usual.





	touch

**Author's Note:**

> hello hi this is really messy and unedited unu follow my twt @loveiyjaemin

jaemin has always been affectionate and he's always been unashamed of showing how he cares — it's in the way he envelops renjun in a hug the next time they see each other even though they've just all met two hours ago, it's in the way he leans against mark when mark's talking about his new song composition, it's in the way he runs his hands through jisung's hair and pinching jisung's cheek when jaemin thinks jisung's being particularly adorable (which the youngest despises, but is secretly fond of anyway), it's in the way he kisses donghyuck's cheeks when jaemin feels proud of him, like acing a test hyuck studied hard for.

it's in the way jaemin sneaks his arm around jeno's waist from behind, startling jeno. it's in the way he hooks his chin on jeno's shoulder and gazes at jeno as jeno stutters his way through at least one coherent sentence under jaemin's gaze. it's in the way jaemin interlocks their fingers and swings their hands between them as they walked to the cafeteria. 

jaemin liked skinship. that much was obvious. what confused jeno all the time, though, was if any of those touches meant nothing or... something else.

but he couldn't ever hope for jaemin to ever like him back. four years of friendship and two of those spent pining over the boy helped jeno realize that it was better to stay the way they are. jaemin's close to him, and jeno'd like for him to stay that way. 

it began confusing him when he's being more touchy with jeno more than usual. jaemin touches the others less and less, and clings to jeno more and more. jeno flushed everytime jaemin sits on his lap at lunch even though there's sufficient space or when he lays down and puts his head on jeno's lap, and stares up at jeno with the cutest smile. jeno just smiled back and brushed it off. it was just jaemin. nothing changed. 

it didnt escape the others' notice though. 

one day, renjun corners jeno after med sci.

“jen,” renjun says, crossing his arms, “you know you two arent hiding it very well, right? it's pretty obvious now to all of us, so just admit it.”

jeno raised his eyebrows. “admit what?”

renjun laughed in disbelief. “that you and nana are together! you're both over each other all the time, you two arent even being subtle about it.” he srunches his nose and sticks his tongue out. 

jeno frowned. “but... we arent. i- i dont even like him that way and—”

renjun cut him off. “dude, we all know you've been in love with nana for like, ever.”

panic surges through him. “is it that obvious? does he know? oh god.”

renjun touches his arm. “relax, he's as oblivious as a brick. but seeing as you arent together after all... he's getting clingier with you, isnt he? that's not exactly platonic.” renjun raises his eyebrows and widens his eyes in emphasis.

jeno shakes his head and mumbles, “that's never gonna happen, injunnie.”

renjun's smile only grows. “bet.”

over the course of a few weeks, jeno's getting increasingly used to the heat that stains his cheeks whenever jaemin initiates skinship. 

they'd all be hanging out at chenle's apartment and there would be dozenz of chairs and beanbags available, but jaemin would drag jeno to the love seat and lay down with jaemin's head on jeno's lap, his legs hanging over the arm rests. he'd whine when jeno wont run his fingers through jaemin's hair so jeno would always relent with a fond smile.

“we're just friends, guys, it's nothing.” jeno says to the gc (minus jaemin) one night in between all the jabs and teasing his friends are saying. 

“nothing over my dead body!” hyuck says, complete with a kardishan meme.

“guys i just searched up on google and 'nothing' apparently means your best friend overly touching you and hugging you and kissing you is totally platonic and theyre sitting no inches apart because they arent gay. wild,” jisung says.

jeno just sends a keyboard smash and turns off his phone. his friends are delusional.

one night, jeno's up late studying for chemistry when he hears a tap on his window. he glances at it suspiciously, wondering if the neighborhood kids were messing with him again. he strides over and slides it open.

to his surprise, na jaemin is who he finds there. he's clinging to a tree branch, and uses a lower branch to launch himself unto jeno's window. 

“christ,” jeno exclaims, holding onto jaemin's arms tightly for fear of the other boy plummeting to his death. he hauls him inside and they topple over, with jaemin on top of a breathless jeno. 

jaemin smiles softly, and reaches out to brush a lock of black hair away from jeno's crescent eyes. “hi there.”

jeno smiles back, though he feels his lips wobble so he bites them instead. jaemin's eyes drift toward the action. “what are you doing here? it's late, jaem.”

jaemin just continues to stare at him. jeno starts to speak again but jaemin cuts him off, “do you still not notice? are you really this incredibly oblivious? or do you not just feel the same?”

jeno scrunched his nose. he feels jaemin tense, so he reaches up and tangles his fingers in his hair, curling a caramel brown luck on his finger. “not feel the same what?”

jaemin shakes his head. “god, jeno, can you really not tell? i've hugged you, kissed you, sat on your lap, laid down on your lap, cuddled with you, i did everything. what do you think all of those mean?"

jeno stays silent for a while, then he pushes jaemin off of him. confused, the other boy stands up and offers a hand, which jeno takes. he leads jaemin to his bed and tugs him to lie down with jeno, legs entangled, faces inches apart. 

“just... say what you mean, nana. i dont want to assume...” jeno whispers, delicately, avoiding eye contact.

jaemin smiles. “i like you jeno, i've liked you for months now.”

jeno closes his eyes and feels a smile curve his lips. “you shouldve just outright said that instead of giving me mixed signals, you know."

“all of what i did clearly pointed to me liking you, you're just oblivious!” jaemin accuses, jabbing a finger to jeno's chest.

jeno blushes, and grabs jaemin's hand and kisses his knuckes. “i'm... i'm glad you like me. i've waited for so long and i never thought you'd actually like me back.”

“how could i not like you back, jeno?" aska jaemin, his hand stroking jeno's cheek. "it's just stupid of me to take four years to realize that.”

“so make up for it,” jeno says, “i've been dying to kiss you since i first saw you.”

jaemin beamed, and leaned in and kissed the daylights out of him.


End file.
